Roberto Alagna

Programm

1st Part

Torna ai felici di (Le Villi)
Orgia chimera (Edgar)
La Bohème, scène de Musette - Piano
Tra voi belle (Manon Lecaut)
Donna non vidi (Manon Lescaut)
Manon Lescaut - Intermezzo - Piano

2nd Part

Che gelida manina (La Bohème)
E lucevan le Stelle (Tosca)
Madama Butterfly - duet - Piano
Addio, fiorito asil (Butterfly)
ch'ella mi creda (La Fanciulla del West)
La Rondine, Nella dolce carezza - piano
Nessun Dorma (Turandot)

ENCORE

Orgia Chimera (Edgar)

Performance

Salle Gaveau

Mardi 11 mars 2025

Cast

Roberto Alagna - Tenor

Orchestre Colonne

Direction musicale - Jean-Yves Ossonce

Press Review

Roberto Alagna made his entrance to a packed house, elegantly dressed in a black tails coat, black shirt, waistcoat and bow tie, and was greeted by a round of applause. The first two pages are sung in full force, a treatment better suited to Edgar's aria with its booming high notes than to Roberto's wistful lament in Le Villi. This is followed by the three Des Grieux arias, during which the voice gradually warms up, the medium becomes more supple and is adorned with velvety tones, while the singing becomes more nuanced. This section ends with Des Grieux's aria, which concludes Act Three of Manon Lescaut. The tenor's deeply moving performance earned him a well-deserved standing ovation.

The second half opens with the unmissable ‘Che gelida manina’ from La Bohème, a work that Roberto Alagna added to his repertoire more than three decades ago, which he has performed on the greatest stages, and of which he has left two reference recordings. While his performance is not lacking in seduction and the magic still works despite a less sunny timbre, it has to be said that the treble has lost its former roundness, and the effort is now perceptible. Nevertheless, the performance is to be applauded, especially as the aria is sung in tune. Cavaradossi's aria, on the other hand, calls for nothing but praise, as does “Addio fiorito asil”, performed with disconcerting ease. Before tackling La fanciulla del West, our tenor explains that he regrets not having had the opportunity to play the cowboys on stage as Dick Johnson, for whom he gives a remarkable interpretation of ‘Ch'ella mi creda libero’. The programme came to a close with a well-staged “Nessun dorma”, crowned by a powerful B that delighted the audience.

True to his notorious generosity, Roberto Alagna offered his audience four encore performances, and not the least of them, to round off his ‘Puccinian’ career: Ruggero's aria from La rondine, which he concluded with a long piano section, Calaf's first aria, ‘Non piangere Liù’ and Luigi's aria from Il Tabarro, all three magnificently performed, with his voice back in top form, ‘Non piangere Liù’ and Luigi's aria from Il Tabarro, all three magnificently performed, with a rediscovered vocal form, and finally Rinuccio's aria, entirely defensible, even if he no longer possesses the light, youthful voice we expect here. Each encore is preceded by a commentary, not devoid of humour, which testifies to the ease with which our tenor has always been able to create a complicity with the audience, thanks to his loquaciousness and irresistible charisma. Roberto Alagna loves his audiences, and they love him back.

At the helm of an Orchestre Colonne in good form, despite a few lapses in accuracy, Jean-Yves Ossonce adopts restrained tempos and offers a detailed direction with a clear sense of theatre. Always attentive to his performer, their complicity is delightful.

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